TAMPA – A nightmare weekend in Florida over, the Devils’ brain trust walked from the Tampa Bay Times Forum visiting locker room together, general manager Lou Lamoriello to the left and coach Pete DeBoer to the right.

"We all know what’s at stake,” DeBoer had said a few minutes earlier in his post-game interview. “It’s a disappointing trip, but no one’s turning the lights out. The season’s not over.”

This weekend was, however, a devastating blow to the Devils’ playoff hopes, not one in which they’re officially done but certainly one in which they’re now realistically is deep trouble.

“There still is time,” right wing Jaromir Jagr said. “Right now nobody (outside the team) really believes we can do it. It’s up to us.”

With just 14 games remaining, the Devils are three points out of a wild card playoff spot and four points behind for a division berth. If that doesn’t seem dire, it is because the teams the Devils are chasing, Philadelphia and Columbus, have two games in hand.

They blew a two-goal lead against a poor team in losing 5-4 to the Florida Panthers on Friday, then were shut out the next night by a better club that just is getting over some big-time struggles of its own.

Afterward, Devils veterans took turns addressing the media with some optimism because 10 of their final games are home, and up next for them are five in a row at Prudential Center.

But they also know they've put themselves in a bad situation.

“If we keep playing like that, it’s eventually going to get away, but right now we’re still in the race,” left wing Dainius Zubrus said.

Zubrus was asked if he thinks the Devils need to win 10 or 11 of their final games to have a chance.

“I’d say so because other teams are playing well in front of us,” he said.

That kind of finish sure would be asking a lot because the Devils’ best run all season is one three-game winning streak.

“We gotta go on a streak,” left wing Ryane Clowe said. “I know we’ve talked about it all year and we haven’t yet. If we’re going to do anything, we’ve got to put a streak together.”

At this point, the Devils’ might need a miracle finish.

“If that’s the way you see it, that’s the way you see it,” Jagr said. “I know we’ve got 14 games left. You never know. It’s up to us how we’re going to play.”